Brian Fallon (THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM) comments on Dustin Kensrue’s choice of life

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM‘s Brian Fallon released a statement on Dustin Kensrue’s (THRICE) beeing under fire after religious comments he made about his future.

Dustin called towards worship music and recently released the following statement:

For the past few years, I have felt a growing burden and calling to invest more and more of my time and efforts towards worship music. This seemed strange at first, since I don’t actually listen to any worship music and have never been very much of fan of most the music sung in churches. But God slowly began to show me that he had specifically gifted and uniquely trained me to enter into this fray and fight to make a difference. Despite apparently having told my wife at one point that I would never be a worship leader, a year or so again, I felt called to start leading worship at my home church and soon began to. When Mars Hill was going to plant in Orange County with my good friend and former Thrice manager Nick Bogardus as the lead pastor, I knew that I was supposed to sign on and serve there.

I guess I’m gonna have to change this blog’s name to “Sticking Up For People.com”

So Mr. Duston Kensrue feels led by The Lord to leave Thrice and play worship music. Awesome. I love that he’s doing that. I understand some Thrice fans might be bummed that they broke up, but bands do that from time to time and it happens. You have to keep in mind that it’s not your band. These people have lives that are more important than the thing they do that we love and admire. Real life happens to people in the spotlight.

The thing that drives me crazy is that all of the people who post ridiculousness about all these musicians and love to comment on everything but never actually go and do anything themselves. Most of you have never taken a stance in your life like some of these people do. (yea, Laura Jane comes to mind…I dare you to come forward like that.) You all just sit there and post on the internet uneducated quips about how Dustin’s a Christian so that somehow = racist, sexist, homophobe? (I wonder what Teppei thinks of Dustin’s obligatory Christian racism being he’s Japanese and all?) The guy wants to praise his Lord, whatever… how does that affect you? Even Fat Mike agrees with “Happy Guy” check that out. And how did Christians become racist, sexist, homophobes? What’s a Christian to you? FOX News anchors? Awesome. Well thought out, those people are class acts. Ask my wife all about sexism (def: discrimination or devaluation based on a person’s sex) and how our household is run… I tell you what, this Christian’s house is a woman’s world! And homophobia (def: a person who fears or hates homosexuals)? Great. Why don’t you ask anyone who’s gay who knows Dustin about how poorly he’s treated them? I bet you don’t get the response you were looking for. Do you even know what these words mean before you go tossing them around people’s necks?

Bono, which whatever you think about him, once said something really great… “Don’t judge a band by it’s audience.” Take that a step further and you go into humanity, don’t judge a group of people by one small percentage. Are all Muslums terrorists because a few insane people used the religion for their twisted ideas? No. Were all German people Nazis? Absolutely not. It’s a dangerous game you’re playing by being the very thing you speak out against. Bob Dylan has a great quote I’d love to have posted above the White House’s doors… he said…

“In a soldier’s stance I aimed my hand at the Mongrel dogs who teach. Fearing not that I’d become my enemy in the instant that I preach.”

Think about it for one second. I’m all about people posting their thoughts on forums and expressing themselves freely. But it’s just silly now, and I truly believe it’s dangerous. If we, as open-minded music fans become closed off to anything outside our realm of thought, then who will be left to be open? Where will we be free to express ourselves?

I don’t think we all have to agree… how many bands love Fugazi yet sell t shirts? I do. But we do have to have open discussions. We do have to be able to express our thoughts and not fear chastisement from our peers. We should be educating each other, and helping each other not throwing around unwarranted insults and slander. Leave that to the politicians.

I can’t spell, I can’t form a proper sentence, and punctuation is a lost cause on me, but I love you guys and girls, and guys who used to be girls and girls who used to be dinosaurs, and every other one of you. And I love that Dustin sings about Jesus. And if God bought him a house, good for him. Long live Frank Turner.

★ IDIOTEQ is a DIY online magazine covering some of the hardcore punk and rock music scene, and supporting DIY ethics and local bands

★ IDIOTEQ (pronounce “idiotec”) is a phonetic transcription of the word Idioteque – the act of suddenly going into a crazy, seizure like state. A vision of a society, where people are increasingly more obsessed with pointless technology, selfishness and mindless entertainment than life itself.